Local Man Shares Testimony of Trusting in God After 30 Years in Prison
Q on Rebuilding After Prison, Faith and Creating Opportunity
ALTON - On a recent episode of “You’re Beautiful” with Brian Trust, Q shared his story of finding God and rebuilding his life after 30 years in prison.
Q shared that he has made mistakes and experienced challenges in his life, but he believes “you grow through what you go through.” He spoke against judging others and encouraged people to put their trust in God. Above all, Q preached empathy.
“I can’t sit and say who good people and bad people are,” he said. “Bad people usually become bad because at one point they were good and somebody took that away from them.”
When he was released from prison, Q applied to over 300 jobs. He would be hired, then fired before he could start because employers would check his background.
While the experience was discouraging at first, he used it as an opportunity to put his trust in God. Eventually, Q started his own business with his fiancé, and he couldn’t be happier with how everything turned out.
To him, it’s proof that God was always with him. He also feels that his success is evidence of what you can do when you focus on your own growth. He wants to eventually go into schools and prisons to share his story and inspire others.
“You get out of prison, the first thing you say is what they won’t let you do, what they won’t give you. Get away from here, because that’s crap,” Q said. “They wouldn’t give me a job. Who the heck is they? I got tired of waiting on them. I created my own job. Now, I own a trucking company, my fiancé owns a trucking company, and we plan on going off into a little bit of real estate. We want to teach people how to help themselves, but keep people understanding that we’re not sticking it out because of us. If it wasn’t for God, we wouldn't be able to do anything that we’re doing right now.”
Q often thinks of Matthew 7:1 — “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you” — to remind him not to point fingers. He doesn’t believe in judging others for their mistakes, but rather correcting them when he has the chance.
“I’ve made the type of mistakes that I’ve never thought I could ever be forgiven for. Part of me still feels that way,” he shared. “But it prevents me from looking at other people and judging them.”
Q added that he believes God is always looking out for us, but there will be times when we’re tempted to go against Him. Q encourages people to focus on developing their relationship with God and trusting Him through challenges. When there are temptations to stray from God’s path, remember to whom you belong, and make the decision that best reflects your faith.
“Every time you gain favor in God’s eyes, Satan hates you just that much more and he will do anything to distract you,” Q added. “Satan will do what he can to step in front of you. You just have to step around him and keep moving.”
Watch or listen to “You’re Beautiful” with Brian Trust at 2 p.m. on Thursdays at RiverBender.com/Beautiful.
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